Wednesday, May 24, 2017

When did this popular candy-rich, no-bake bite
appear? It may have started during the health-oriented ‘70s tofu and granola craze.
But it also is a spin-off of no-bake cookies infused with alcohol that go back
to the mid-20th century.

When I first moved here I became good friends with a
neighbor, an older woman whom locals thought was my mom. But she was my best
friend, pet sitter, and confidant. During the summer, one afternoon while I sipped homemade iced tea, she made
Bourbon Balls (a treat my mother used to make for holidays). Vanilla wafer
crumbs, powdered sugar, corn syrup, and bourbon are some of the ingredients.
“Why don’t you make something healthy?” I asked. She darted, “Like what?” I
offered my hippie-ish recipe for energy balls. She shook her head no while
shaping her traditional 1-inch balls and putting each one on a cookie sheet.

That night her recipe inspired me to recreate energy
balls. I put together good for you foods--peanut butter, honey, dried fruit,
and nuts. The next day, my pal didn’t want to try my superfood, and I passed on
her booze balls. But we remained friends despite our different tastes from the
beatnik era to post-hippie days.

So here is a version of my get-up-and-go energy
balls. As the temperature rises, both locals and tourists are going to love
these bites. What’s better than bite-sized balls with wholesome goodness that
are easy to make and from nature’s finest. And they contain healthful protein,
carbs, fat, fiber, and iron.

Peanut Butter Coconut Balls

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup honey (I used a local brand from Carson
City)

1/3 cup premium unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)

½ cup walnuts, chopped

¼ cup raisins, golden

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, premium (I used
Baker’s)

2 teaspoons sea salt

Cinnamon and ginger to taste (optional)

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, honey, and
cocoa powder. Stir well. Fold in walnuts and raisins. Put into refrigerator for
about 30 minutes (it makes it easier to make the balls). Shape into 2-inch
balls, then roll in coconut. Sprinkle with salt. Store balls in airtight
container. (Peanut Butter Coconut Balls freeze well.) Makes about 1 dozen. (You can also switch it up and use different
dried fruit, like blueberries and cranberries to celebrate Memorial Day weekend
and Fourth of July.) Serve with iced tea or coffee for the feel-good caffeine
buzz.

The different colors and textures of these energy bites
are pleasing to the eye and palate. They are gooey, chewy, and crunchy. Plus,
the mix of nuts and honey with a bit of sea salt gives you both a sweet and
savory treat. And ginger is a brilliant note. Instead of baking cookies in a
hot kitchen, these no-bake energy balls allow you time to enjoy the outdoors. Don’t
forget to share the goodness with family, friends, and neighbors (all ages) for
the fun of it.

*The Healing Powers of Tea and The Healing Powers of Honey are available at online bookstores, including amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, kobo.com.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Say hello to the panini
sandwich wonder. It’s an Italian hot sandwich
consisting of two slices of bread—baguette of French bread—stuffed with cheese
and meat and fried on a grill, pan, or broiled. This present-day, popular
grilled sandwich goes back to the 20th century. And, you don’t have
to travel far to find one at restaurants around the Lake. But you can also do
it yourself at home.

One late spring,
chilly afternoon after viewing the movie “It’s Complicated” I made my first panini
inspired by Meryl Streep’s dish, a hot cheesy French sandwich called Croque
Monsieur. It wowed and wooed male characters Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin—and
me. It’s a simple sandwich with an egg base, ham, tomato, cheese and bread—one
or two slices. I chose to go the Italian panini route—no eggs.

Tuna Cheddar Cheese Panini

2 tablespoons finely chopped cucumber

2 tablespoons chopped celery

1 tablespoon chopped red onion (optional)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise with olive oil (store
bought)

3-ounce can albacore tuna in water, drained

Ground black pepper to taste

2-3 tablespoons European style butter with sea salt

4 thick slices Artisan European style French bread
made with organic flour (or a baguette)

4 slices cheddar cheese

1 Roma tomato, sliced

Fresh basil, chopped (optional)

In a bowl, combine
cucumber, celery, onion, mayo, tuna, and pepper. Stir and chill in
refrigerator. Place 4 bread slices on a cutting board. On medium heat, use a large
skillet to add butter, melt, and add bread. Top 2 slices bread with tuna
mixture, cheese, and tomato. Then top
with the other 2 slices of buttered bread. Place another smaller pan (or
spatula) on top of sandwiches. Cook about 3-5 minutes on each side or until
brown. You can also use the oven broiler. *I put tomato on the sandwich after
it was cooked. Slice each sandwich in half. Top with fresh basil. Serves two.

A panini press or
grill is nice to achieve grill marks. But two skillets or oven broiler can
achieve the toasted grill imprint, sort of. The crunch of the soft but crispy bread,
gooey cheese and creamy tuna with bits of goodness are well, good (especially
if you use premium ingredients). It’s comfort food with a wholesome twist.
Serve with a green salad. A scoop of chocolate gelato spread on top of a whole
grain honey graham cracker (open face or a sandwich) paired with iced tea or
coffee will complete this scrumptious Mediterranean meal to love.

— Cal Orey,
M.A. is an author and journalist. Her
books include the Healing Powers Series (Vinegar, Olive Oil, Chocolate, Honey,
Coffee, and Tea) published by Kensington. (The collection has been featured by
the Good Cook Book Club.) Her website is
www.calorey.com .

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Fresh fruit in May at Lake
Tahoe isn’t as fruitful as it is in the summertime. However, finding sweet fruits,
including plums and pears, can be done. These two favorites can make a sweet
English-style fruit crumble like the Brits favored because the sophisticated
dish is uncomplicated to make...

During one May visit to
the South Shore, before I became a local, the unpredictable weather like in
Hawaii or Alaska, was an introduction to how meals and plans can change in a
heartbeat. My sibling and I were en route to having a picnic on a sandy beach.
But due to a thunderstorm we had to resort to plan B. “We can eat sandwiches
and fruit while watching the rain at the Lake,” I offered, thinking the novelty
of winter-like weather in the spring was exciting even while sitting in the
car.

The funny thing is, years
later I forgot how this month can be cold one day and warm the next. Last
weekend I purchased fresh fruit to make cold fruit salad. But it snowed. So,
that is how I switched things up and my fruit (not as flavorful and juicy like
it is in the summer) morphed into a warm dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl put chopped
fruit. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon, and juice. Mix well. Set aside. In another bowl, combine
butter, sugar, oats, flour. and nuts. Dish fruit evenly into ramekins. Top each
with crumbly topping. Bake approximately one hour. (If you live in high
altitude it may take a bit longer.). It's done when crust is golden brown and
fruit is tender and bubbly. Best served warm with a dollop of whipped cream.
Serves four.

Making a plum tart or apple pie in May seems a bit
off, but creating simple fruit crumble dishes works whether it’s chilly or not.
The oatmeal makes it crumbly not sugary
like a fruit crisp. Served warm with coffee for breakfast or cold with
iced tea for dessert definitely works. Come summertime repeat with blackberries
or rhubarb. It’s a sweet and comfort food from nature’s finest for life in the
mountains and guaranteed to please whatever Mother Nature decides to do.

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Enter the popular Chef’s Salad. It’s an all-American
favorite like apple pie. The traditional salad also called Chef Salad includes meat, poultry,
cheese (sliced julienne style), hard-cooked eggs, and salad greens. Some food
historians believe the mixed green salad derived from our health-conscious
Golden State. Others believed it was created at a fancy restaurant in New York
City.

As a kid, during warm months my mom made this salad
for our family. My first Chef’s Salad included turkey, ham, iceberg lettuce,
and dressing. It was paired with a bread basket full of French bread and pats
of butter. On weekends, my mom took extra time and care into slicing the cold
cuts into fancy thin rectangles and created yummy homemade Thousand Island
dressing. But if it was a side dish on the weekdays it was a simple vegetable
version tossed together with bottled French dressing.

Years ago when a neighbor invited me—the health nut
vegetarian--to a bar-b-que I brought salsa, tortilla chips, and marshmallows
for roasting. The guests weren’t thrilled by my goodies or the raw grilled
shrimp and warm vegetable pasta salad. I remember I said, “I should have made a
Chef’s Salad with lots of meats and vegetables. That way, we’d all be happy.”
Due to clash of personalities which started with a cold war of meat eaters
versus vegetarian, I snatched my bag of unopened marshmallows, went home early
and made S’mores in the microwave.

As a wannabe vegan in the Sierra, half the time I’m a
vegetarian. So here is a version of the Chef’s Salad with a South Shore
meatless twist.

Health Nut Vegetarian Chef’s Salad

2 cups spring mixed greens (the darker, the better)

1 large Roma tomato, sliced

¼ cup cucumber, sliced

¼ cup celery, diced

¼ cup green or red bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons red onion, sliced (optional)

2 tablespoons black olives, sliced (optional)

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, shelled

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, sharp, sliced

2 teaspoons each chives and scallions, minced

Dressing:

½ cup mayonnaise with olive oil

1 teaspoon ketchup

1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped

1 teaspoon onion, chopped (optional)

Ground pepper to taste

In a large bowl, place a bed of greens. Toss in salad
ingredients. For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk ingredients and put in fridge
until serving. The salad serves two to three. (Carnivores can substitute cheese
and seeds with ¼ cup turkey, ¼ cup ham, chopped, and 2 tablespoons bacon,
crumbled.)

A Chef’s Salad, like this one, is good for everyone.
Offer both salad dressing types to be on the safe side. Serve with local, fresh
warm French bread slices (with olive oil to dip), and a bowl of berries for
dessert. This dish is versatile and can be a slimming one or not—if piled with
too much meat and dressing. However you dish it up I promise that it’ll keep
your guests from fleeing. For dessert, offer apple pie and you can’t go wrong.
Well, serve a bowl of fresh berries, too, to cover all bases.

Monday, May 1, 2017

“…A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity, and in poverty, in health, and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow, and snow drives fiercely, if only he may be by his master’s side. "

From
coast to coast, in San Francisco or Atlanta, homelessness was a problem in the
20th century and it is today. Both humans and their pets cope with
weather changes or living without a home due to a natural disaster. Here is a story that I wrote years ago but it
is a timeless one that needs to be heard...

There’s a memorable
scene in the movie Down and Out in
Beverly Hills where Nick Nolte, a homeless man, loses his little tan dog,
Kerouac and soon after attempts to end his life by jumping into a wealthy
businessman’s backyard swimming pool.

In the hands of this actor, this is
a very moving scene. Behind the absurd outcome, however, is the painful truth
about down and out people and our society’s often cold and insensitive attitude
toward the way the homeless pets and their people really feel.

Many dog and cat owners—perhaps even
you—may one day be just a paycheck or an illness away from becoming homeless.
And when a story like this one shows the streets being a home to people and
their sleeping bags, pets and shopping carts, you, like, like all pet people
may wonder, “How do the homeless and their pets live?”

I spent several days on the streets
with the disenfranchised and my report, while sad, still serves to illustrate
the patience and devotion the companion animal holds for his owner, no matter
what the circumstances.

In San Francisco during the
Depression dogs kept company with the jobless and transient hobos. During the
turbulent Sixties dogs freeloaded with the hippies on Haight Street and freeway
ramps. And now, amid a recession, pets band together with the homeless in the
Tenderloin and at Golden Gate Park. Regardless of the era or locale, it’s the
pet, however, who sticks by his or her owner’s side—for better or worse.

Statistics prove pets and their
people who are homeless, ill or financially destitute are far too common on the
streets of San Francisco today. In the
Bay Area, there were an estimated 46,000 homeless in 1988. How many own pets?
No one knows for sure. But you can bet it’s a lot.

Often it is the homeless person
rather than society who is blamed when the inevitable doubt arises: “Did he
create his plight?” And too frequently, the judgmental question is posed by the
homeless themselves who more times than not, have lost their pride and
self-worth.

MEET A HOMELESS MAN AND HIS DOGS

Reno, a homeless person, for example,
owns two dogs in San Francisco. After a
painful divorce, several years ago the anguished man grabbed his guitar and
pup, left Colorado, and hit the road. For over five years, Reno has been broke
and struggling on the streets of San Francisco with his “two girls”—Tramp, an
Australian Shepherd/Bull Terrier and Puget Sound, a black Labrador retriever
from Washington state.

Often the 38-year-old unkempt man
and his two canines can be found on Market Street where they panhandle for
food. Some people call the homeless with dogs, like Reno, “scam artists.” Many
turn their heads. And others are losing patience and won’t spare a dime. Dog or
not.

One recent afternoon, in between
tears and flashing a snap shot of three dogs, Reno said in between tears he had
lost Puget’s daughter, Bingo in an operation. He blamed the doctors for
“killing his dog.” Not surprising, his anger and frustration carries over to
The City’s Mayor, and the police who often harass the homeless and keep them
from living at Civic Center Plaza.

Reno’s feelings are common among
homeless people. “Maybe, the only one that cares and gives support is their
companion animal,” says Richard Avanzino, president of the San Francisco SPCA.
“Because homeless people have this unique bond and special relationship, in
many cases, the animals are better cared for than they take care of themselves.
And that’s because the animal has stood by their side when society and the
world and human beings have discarded them.”

Why? Why do people (veterans,
children, adults with disabilities, single parents, teenagers, part-time
employees—without housing, end up on the streets?

Experts answer that the primary
reason of homelessness is lack of affordable housing. Also other societal
factors such as low-paying jobs, inaccessible health care, as well as personal
disasters, drug abuse and alcoholism can cause homelessness.

Despite the growing problem of
homeless people and their pets, it continues. Slowly, pet owners coping with
hard times are fighting back, and rediscovering their dignity, civil rights,
and freedom.

A DOG-LOVING VETERAN AND HIS TROOP

As a Vietnam veteran living in the
Tenderloin, Ray Masterson was homeless for 20 years. With a likeness to John
Steinbeck’s fictional character Pirate, a dog-loving man who owned five dogs in
Tortilla Flat, he tells his story:
“After I go out of the service it was hard to hold down a job, moving from one
part of the country to the other. I’ve always had a dog when I’ve been without
a home. It’s a fulfillment of being needed. It’s like having a family that I
don’t have.”

Ray has owned several dogs while homeless:
Corky, a Coyote/Dingo; Samson, a Husky/Wolf; Toker, a Pit Bull Terrier/Great
Dane; and Bear, a Pit Bull Terrier/Chow Chow. “Corky was a real good
panhandler,” he says and laughs out loud. “Bear took right to freight trains.
Every animal I’ve has had their own personalities and quirks. I got Bear on the
rebound because Corky had been run over by a tractor trailer up in Oregon. I
worked my way around for about a month and somebody gave me Bear as a pup. As
he grew bigger and stronger I got tired of carrying his food and water plus
mine in a backpack—so I built him a pair of donkey saddle bags. He carried his
own food and water for over a year.

“Bear and I were homeless in The
City for about nine months. We slept up in the churchyard mostly, where we had
permission from the church. Bear wouldn’t let anybody near me,” explains Ray.
Like a proud father, he points out Bear’s distinct facial features, and adds,
that as a pup his dog’s face was full of fuzzy fur resembling a California
Grizzly Bear.

These days the 37-year-old war vet
who’d spend his last five dollars on his dog, receives compensation from the
government for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Even though Ray’s off the
streets for now, he’s busy at work as a homeless advocate.

So
when society turns their back on people who are down and out it’s
understandable why these folks go to man’s best friend for comfort. One man’s
words---attributed to Senator George Vest in 1870—from his writing “Tribute To
A Dog” says it best:

“…A
man’s dog stands by him in prosperity, and in poverty, in health, and in
sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow, and
snow drives fiercely, if only he may be by his master’s side. He will kiss the
hand that has no food to offer; he will lick wounds and sores that come in
encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper
master as if he were a prince. When all others desert, he remains.”

I'm a born and raised Californian(nearby wineries, olive groves, chocolate hot spots, honey beekeepers, coffee bean roasters, and tea shops) who keeps it real. I pen the "hugely successful" Healing Powers Series (on homepage), now available at kobo.com (available in ebook around the globe), Walmart stores, amazon, bandn and other bookstores; (translated in 20 languages), all have been featured by book clubs, including Good Cook and Literary Guild. As a former Woman's World Weekly diet-nutrition columnist, I dish up--health perks, and fresh Mediterranean foods with a West Coast twist.

Update:

* #8 Healing Powers book assigned.

* The Healing Powers of Tea will be released Dec. 26 2017.

* The Healing Powers of Honey Mass Market gift size format will be released Feb. 2018.